1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a fluid conveyance system which, including a miniature fluid conveyance device, a discharge data processing device, and a communication device, individually recognizes and drives the fluid conveyance device, and to the fluid conveyance device.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a use in medical treatment of a miniature pump for continuously administering a minute amount of chemical liquid, in a form of a gentle stream, to a patient is being researched.
For example, as a miniature peristaltic pump device suitable for mounting in a human body for injecting an aqueous chemical liquid or the like at a low speed and continuously, there is a miniature peristaltic pump device which, a pump rotor being attached to a shaft, a plurality of rollers being disposed on the rotor, in an evenly dispersed condition on a periphery of the shaft, the rollers carrying out a rotating motion while rolling along a flexible tube, and the tube being pressed against a backing which surrounds the tube over a range of a circular arc of a prescribed length, carries out a suction and release of a fluid such as a chemical liquid.
As this kind of miniature peristaltic pump device, a kind of miniature peristaltic pump device has been known in which, including a stepping motor as a power source, the stepping motor drives at a rotation speed set in advance by a block IC including a control circuit, and a desired discharge amount is obtained (for example, refer to Japanese Patent 3177742).
Also, as the miniature peristaltic pump device, a miniature peristaltic pump device has been known which includes, on a housing, a miniature peristaltic pump, input switches for setting a fluid discharge amount of the miniature peristaltic pump in a plurality of stages, and selecting and setting a discharge amount of the fluid from among the plurality of set stages, and a display (for example, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,251).
In this kind of Japanese Patent 3177742, although it is possible to set or change a discharge amount of a chemical fluid or the like, depending on a number of frequency divider stages which receive a signal supplied from a time base, a deceleration ratio of a gear mechanism, and a kind of motor used, it is necessary to manufacture having decided in advance setting conditions thereof. However, discharge conditions once set being fixed, there is a problem in that it is difficult to change a type of usage and conditions of a chemical fluid administration at will, and set a fluid discharge amount.
Also, according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,251, it is possible, by providing switches for adjusting a discharge amount of a fluid, a display and a peristaltic pump, on a housing, to adjust the discharge amount but, as the miniature peristaltic pump, switches and display are placed on the housing, miniaturization is difficult with this kind of configuration, and it is not possible to mount it inside a body of a small animal with an object of a new chemical development or the like.
Also, in both the previously described Japanese Patent 3177742 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,251, a plurality of fluid conveyance devices existing, when selectively using a fluid conveyance device with pre-set discharge conditions, it is not possible to individually recognize the fluid conveyance device. Consequently, it being conceivable that a human error occurs whereby a fluid conveyance system user (referring to a user) uses a fluid conveyance device in which wrong discharge conditions have been set, there is a kind of problem in that there will be serious consequences when using in medical treatment or the like.
Also, when using a battery or the like as a power source, although, when stopping the fluid conveyance device during use, then reusing it, it is necessary to drive with a discharge condition program corresponding to a remaining capacity of the battery, in the previously described Japanese Patent 3177742 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,251, there not being that kind of function, it is not possible to repeatedly reuse the fluid conveyance device until the battery capacity expires.
Furthermore, in the event that a remaining amount of a battery capacity of each of a plurality of fluid discharge devices differs, as it is not possible to recognize a battery remaining capacity for one fluid discharge device, it being unclear how much longer it is possible to drive the relevant fluid discharge device, there is a problem in that it is not possible to efficiently use the fluid conveyance device, such as by re-driving.